Marching Through Your Head
by missus brokkenbroll
Summary: There is one thing that Hestia Jones can always count on on April 27th: Sirius Black. Written for the One Day Challenge on the HPFC Forum.


**April 27th, 1971**

The morning of her birthday, she woke frowning. It was her first birthday away from home and, despite what common sense told her, she still expected to be woken by her parents with cake for breakfast. It was another gloomy Saturday, pale with April showers. She went down to the Grand Hall to await her mail, which she was sure would involve presents.

It didn't. There was a card from her Auntie Gertrude, whose son had hexed a calendar to both squawk and whine on the birthdays of every relative they had and to stick forever to the wall. Nothing more. Hestia felt sick. She didn't have any homework to do, and so she bundled up and ventured outdoors.

Pulling her jackets tighter, she stomped to a bench and sat, disregarding the droplets of water now drenching her bottom. She locked her arms together and stared decidedly at the green, green grass a few feet from her feet, refusing to acknowledge the beauty of the gray sky. Usually she'd be the first to point it out when the sky was especially astonishing, but not today. _Not __today. _Not on her birthday, when no one had remembered. She seethed quietly. Her black hair, longer than she knew what to do with, hung all around her face as she leaned forward, intending to put her head between her knees.

Lily liked to cut Hestia's hair in their spare time, do it up and braid it. Hestia liked it. She'd never had a sister, and Lily felt like one. She wondered where Lily was.

Her cheeks were flushed pink from the cold. Hestia wondered why she'd thought this would be a good idea.

"Hes?" she heard behind her. "Hestia?" Confusion softened his usually brash voice.

Hestia didn't turn at the sound, and neither did she turn as Sirius Black sat beside her, hands still in pockets. "Hey, Hestia. What're you doing down here?"

Shrugging, Hestia turned her head to look at him. "Bad day, I guess."

Sirius snorted. "Today?" he said. "Can't be. It's your birthday! It's absolutely impossible for your day to be less than amazing. That's proven." His brilliant smile was turned full-watt at her and she couldn't help but grin widely back.

"Right, well." She shrugged again, sitting up this time and getting to be shoulder-to-shoulder with him. "I'll be honest, I was trying to be sulky and brooding, but I don't think it works for me."

"True enough, Jones," Sirius sighed and sunk down lower on the bench for just a minute, before his face visibly brightened as if a timer had gone off in his head. "Now, c'mon. It's too cold for this bollocks." He stood bouncily, and offered her a friendly hand up. She scoffed and stood by herself, walking toward the castle again. He followed.

"Where're you going, Jones?"

"Owlry, Black. I'm going to send my mum a letter."

This time he grabbed her hand and stopped short. "Nah!" he said too loudly. "Come back to the Common Room, with me."

"No," Hestia said, just to show him that he couldn't boss her.

Sirius smiled at that. "Come on, Hestia. It's warmer."

"I don't think so," Hestia said, returning the smile. "Why do you want me to go to the Common Room?"

There was a pause as Sirius considered. "I have a present for you," he said with a little grimace.

Hestia was very confused now. "You do?"

Sirius nodded with very little hesitation. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Is this a trick?" Hestia said after a moment, her voice filling with emotion. "Because that... that would be just rotten."

Sirius blushed, which Hestia had never seen before. "It's not a trick!" He said pleadingly. "I promise." She studied his face, and there was a minute-long pause.

"Swear," Hestia said, holding out her hand. Sirius began to shake it. "No, not like that," Hestia said.

Sirius looked down. "What, do you want to make a blood pact? Because James and I already did that and it seems as if sharing blood with too many other people could be wildly dangerous."

"Ew, no," Hestia frowned. "Here," and spit into her palm, holding it out expectantly.

"Ew, no!" Sirius squealed, putting his hands quickly behind my back.

"You have to swear or I will leave." Spit dribbled off her open hand.

He shivered with distaste and spit into his palm. He held it out shakily and Hestia shook vigorously. Sirius choked back vomit. "Did you have to smear it around like that?"

"Don't be a baby," Hestia said, grinning at him coughing theatrically into a bush. "Let's go."

They walked together up to the Tower, then Sirius shouted, "Race you!" and they began to run. Hestia was bogged down by her many jackets and Sirius reached their destination first. He had already disappeared into the portraithole by the time Hestia arrived. Muttering the password - "kerfuffle" - she lamented his lack of manners. Anyone could tell you that the winner waited at the finish line to congratulate their opponent on a good race. She watched the portrait swing forward and reveal an empty Common Room.

"...What?" Hestia wondered aloud. There were always students milling around on Saturdays.

With a shout half her house leaped out from behind furniture, out of chairs, behind tapestries and pillars. "Surprise!" they said together, and Hestia stood shocked. People began chattering immediately about how successful that had been, and James and Remus went about producing the food they'd promised everyone in the house from their dormitory.

Sirius came to smack Hestia on the back. "Surprise," Sirius said smugly. Lily joined them on Hestia's other side.

"You did this?" Hestia asked in disbelief.

"It was all me," he said with a straight face and Hestia turned to Lily.

Lily grinned. "It was my idea, but they got the food and stuff. They spread the word, they... Well, it was all him," she finished, not wishing to relay the saga of extensive extortion used to get the older students to the party. Hestia turned and couldn't help folding Sirius into a hug.

He held her back for just a second before pulling away. "I appreciate the love, Hestia, but if people see you doing that it might hurt my chances with the ladies."

Hestia laughed. "Sorry, Sirius," she smiled and he walked toward a group of pretty second-years, who laughed in his face.

Lily pressed into Hestia's side. "Why is he so great with you?" Lily muttered. "He did make most of it happen, you know."

Hestia shrugged, not understanding it herself. "Like he needs an excuse to organize these little shindigs." Lily smiled and they chatted for a bit before she went away and Hestia went with a growling stomach to the same food that hadn't appealed to her earlier in the Grand Hall. They joined the party, which continued with dancing, daring, talking and multiple food runs for four more hours, during which all the older kids called out jovially to Hestia - by the wrong name - wishing her a merry birthday. It didn't matter, though. Her smile came easily the rest of the night.


End file.
